US Adolescent Birth Rate vs US Secondary School Enrollment

US Adolescent Birth Rate and US Secondary School Enrollment correlate at r = -0.59 over 35 years (1971–2022), p = 1.7e-4. With the time trend removed, r = +0.36. Direction flips without the trend.

Verdict: Direction flips without the trend. The raw correlation is -0.59, but once each series' time trend is removed it becomes 0.36. The year-to-year movements run the opposite way to the long-run trends, so the headline number is misleading.

Pearson r: -0.59
p-value: 1.7e-4
Years compared (n): 35 (1971–2022)
95% confidence interval: -0.77 to -0.32
Correlation with the time trend removed: +0.36

Sources

US Adolescent Birth Rate (per 1,000 women 15–19): World Bank. US Adolescent Birth Rate (World Bank indicator SP.ADO.TFRT).
US Secondary School Enrollment (% gross): World Bank. US Secondary School Enrollment (World Bank indicator SE.SEC.ENRR).

Related pairs

Atmospheric CO₂ (Mauna Loa) vs US Adolescent Birth Rate (r = -0.95)
US Adolescent Birth Rate vs US Cereal Yield (r = -0.95)
US Adolescent Birth Rate vs US Forest Area (r = -0.94)
US Adolescent Birth Rate vs US Population (r = -0.94)
US Adolescent Birth Rate vs US GDP per Capita (r = -0.94)
US Adolescent Birth Rate vs US GDP (current US$) (r = -0.94)

Correlation does not imply causation. How the verdict is worked out.